Japanese Self-Studying Updates (Lessons 11 and 12)

Happy Monday fellow geeks! It’s the day of the week again for some new updates for my Japanese self-study! For the previous week, which were lessons 9 and 10, I’ve got to learn about the MASU form and some other particles. This week’s lessons we’re one of my most anticipated one as I’ve got to learn how to negate and transform MASU verbs to past tense as well as its past negation form. I’ve been singing anime songs and some of the words now makes sense. And that my friends makes me want to learn more!

And once  again, this is not an attempt to create a tutorial but just sharing what I’ve learn from Misa-sensei’s Grammar Lessons for Absolute Beginners in Youtube. You can see what I’ve been learning from Lessons 1-10 here.

Note: Click on the lesson number to read the whole update.

LESSON 11 – Negation of MASU Verbs

Negation of MASU Verbs:

• from MASU => MASEN

Examples:

• (to teach) oshieru => oshiemasu => oshiemasen
  I don’t teach English
  => Eiga wo oshiemasen
• (to watch) miru => mimasu => mimasen
  I don’t watch horror movies
  => Horaa eiga wo mimasen

 ***

• week => shuu
• one week => isshuukan (one + week + period [period])
• two weeks => nishuukan
• next week => raishuu
• last week => senshuu
• weekend => shuumatsu (comes from shuu=>week and matsu=>end)
• work, job => shigoto (you can add o to make it more polite)

Example:

• What is your job?
  => Shigoto wa nani? (informal)
  => Shigoto wa nan desu ka? (formal)
  => Oshigoto wa nan desu ka? (very formal)

***

• to work => shigoto suru => shigoto shimasu
• to (going somewhere) => ni (particle)

***

Examples:

• I will go to work
  => Shigoto ni ikimasu
• I don’t/won’t go to work
  => Shigoto ni ikimasen
• I don’t go to work on weekends (as for weekends, I don’t go to work)
  => Shuumatsu wa shigoto ni ikimasen
• I don’t work on weekends (as for weekends, I don’t work)
  => Shuumatsu wa shigoto shimasen

***

• meat => niku (you can add o to make it more polite)
• vegetarian => bejitarian
• vegan => biigan
• and => to (particle)
• strong => tsuyoi
• weak => yowai

Examples:

• I don’t eat meat
  => Oniku wo tabemasen
• I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eat meat
  => Bejitarian desu. Oniku wo tabemasen
• I don’t eat meat and fish
  => Oniku to sakana wo tabemasen
• I don’t drink alcohol
  => Osake wo nomimasen
• I’m a lightweight (lit. weak to alcohol)
  => Osake ni yowai
• I’m a heavyweight (lit. can handle alcohol)
  => Osake ni tsuyoi
• I’m a lightweight. I don’t drink alcohol
  => Osake ni yowai. Osaki wo nomimasen

***

• cigarette => tabako
• to smoke => suu

Example:

suu => suimasu => suimasen

• I don’t smoke
  => tabako wo suimasen

***

• newspaper => shinbun
• news => nyuusu
• not really, not very much => amari (formal), anmari (informal)

Note: Amari is only use with negation and you can put it either at the beginning of the sentence or before the verb.

• insects => mushi
• not at all => zenzen

Note:  Just like amari, you can only use it with negation and you can put it either at the beginning at the sentence or before the verb.

***

Examples:

yomu => yomimasu => yomimasen

• I don’t read newspaper
  => Shinbun wo yomimasen
• I don’t really read newspaper
  => Shinbun wo amari yomimasen
  or
  => Amari shinbun wo yomimasen
• I don’t like insects at all
  => Mushi ga zenzen suki ja nai desu
  or
  => Zensen mushi ga suki ja nai desu

***

Sometimes, they use zenzen with daijoubu
Example:

• Don’t worry, it’s fine
  => Zenzen daijoubu
  – it’s technically wrong, but they usually use it in informal speeches.

***

• mother => haha

Examples:

to cook => riyouri suru => riyouri shimasu => riyouri shimasen

• I don’t cook at all
  => Zenzen riyouri shimasen
• My mother doesn’t cook at all
  => Haha wa zenzen riyouri shimasen

Note: Riyouri shimasu (to cook) can’t be use if you are referring to cooking a specific food. Instead, they use tsukuru ( to make).

Example:

tsukuru => tsukurimasu => tsukurimasen

• I make a pizza
  => Piza wo tsukurimasu
• I don’t make a pizza
  => Piza wo tsukurimasen

***

• hikikomori => a person who stays at home all the time or a person who doesn’t go out.
• outside => soto
• to leave, exit => deru

Examples

deru => demasu => demasen

• I don’t go outside at all
  => Zenzen soto ni demasen
• I’m hikikomori. I don’t go out at all
  => Hikikomori desu. Zenzen soto ni demasen

***

• to understand => wakaru

Examples:

wakaru => wakarimasu => wakarimasen

• I don’t understand
  => Wakarimasen
• I don’t understand at all
  => Zenzen wakarimasen

New vocabularies learned from this lesson:

• horror => horaa
• horror movies => horaa eiga
• week => shuu
• one week => isshuukan
• two weeks => nishuukan
• three weeks => sanshuukan
• next week => raishuu
• last week => senshuu
• work, job => (o) shigoto
• meat => (o) niku
• vegetarian => bejitarian
• vegan => biigan
• strong => tsuyoi
• weak => yowai
• to smoke => suu
• cigarette => tabako
• newspaper => shinbun
• news => nyuusu
• not really, not very much => amari (formal), anmari (informal)
• not at all => zenzen
• insects => mushi
• mother => haha
• to make => tsukuru
• a person who always stays at home => hikikomori
• outside => soto
• to leave, exit => deru
• to understand => wakaru

LESSON 12: Past Tense and Past Negation of MASU Verbs

Negation

• masu => masen

Example:

• I don’t/won’t eat
  => Tabemasen

Past Tense

• masu => mashita

Example

• I ate
  => Tabemashita

Past Negation

• masu => masen + deshita

Example:

• I didn’t eat
  => Tabemasen deshita

Note: Remember deshita from the adjectives?

Examples:

miru => mimasu => mimashita

• I saw the new movie
  => Atarashi eiga wo mimashita

Note: To make it a question, just add ka at the end of the sentence.

• Did you watch/see?
  => mimashita ka?

***

mou – already

• or used to show frustration
• not anymore (if used with negation)

Example: already

• Did you already see the movie?
  => Eiga wo mou mimashita ka?

Example: not anymore

• I don’t watch anime anymore
  => Anime wa mou mimasen

***

Examples:

• I saw a movie
  => Eiga wo mimashita
• What did you see/watch?
  => Nani wo mimashita ka?
• I saw Spider Man
  => Supaidaa man wo mimashita
• What did you eat?
  => Nani wo tabemashita ka?

yomu => yomimasu => yomimashita

• What did you read?
  => Nani wo yomimashita ka?

iku => ikimasu => ikimashita

• I went to a shop
  => Omise ni ikimashita

***

• shop => mise
• where => doko
• here (near the speaker) => koko
• there (near the listener) => soko
• over there (far) => asoko
• last year => kyonen
• who => dare
• with whom => dare to
• one person => hitori
• myself, alone => hitori de
• when => itsu
• last summer => kyonen no natsu (last year’s summer)

Examples:

• Where did you go?
  => Doko ni ikimashita ka?
• I went to Japan
  => Nihon ni ikimashita
• I went to Japan last year
  => Kyonen nihon ni ikimashita
• With whom did you go? / Who did you go with?
  => Dare to ikimashita ka?
• I went with my friends
  => Tomodachi to ikimashita
• With my friends
  => Tomodachi to desu
• I went there alone
  => Hitori de ikimashita
• When did you go to Japan?
  => Itsu nihon ni ikimashita ka?
• I went to Japan last summer
  => Kyonen no natsu nihon ni ikimashita

***

• why – doushite (formal), nande (informal)
• to choose – erabu

Examples

erabu => erabimasu => erabimashita

• Why did you choose this?
  => Doushite kore wo erabimashita ka?
• I chose it because it’s cute
  => Kawaii kara, erabimashita

Note: In Japanese, you should put the reason first (because => kara)

Note 2: You can say you chose it first but in writing, the reason should always mentioned first.

***

• yesterday => kinou
• to be late => okureru

Note: To be late is adjective in English, but in Japanese, it’s a verb.

Examples:

• I didn’t go to work yesterday
  => Kinou shigoto ni ikimasen deshita

asobu => asobimasu => asobimashita

• I hung out with my friends
  =>Tomodachi to asobimashita

okureru => okuremasu => okuremashita

• I’m late
  => Okuremashita
• Sorry, I’m late
  => Sumimasen, okuremashita
• I was not late
  => Okuremasen deshita

***

• university, college => daigaku (comes from ookii => big and gakkou => school)
• math => suugaku
• cafe => kafe

Examples:

• I studied math in university
  => Daigaku de suugaku wo benkyou shimashita

hanasu => hanashimasu => hanashimashita

• I talked with my friends in the cafe
  => Kafe de tomodachi to hanashimashita
• What did you do on the weekend (as for weekends, what did you do?
  => Shuumatsu wa nani wo shimashita ka?
• I worked on the weekend (as for weekends, I worked)
  => Shuumatsu wa shigoto shimashita
• I studied Japanese
  => Nihongo wo benkyou shimashita
• I read books at home
  => Uchi de hon wo yomimashita
• I watched tv at home
  => Uchi de terebi wo mimashita
• I went to the cinema
  => Eigakan ni ikimashita
• I listened to music
  => Ongaku wo ikimashita

New vocabularies learned from this lesson:

• spider man => supaidaa man
• store => (o) mise
• where => doko
• here (near the speaker ) => koko
• there (near the listener) => soko
• over there (far) => asoko
• last year => kyonen
• who => dare
• with whom => dare to
• one person => hitori
• myself, alone => hitori de
• when => itsu
• last summer => kyonen no natsu
• why => doushite (formal), nande (informal)
• to choose => erabu
• because => kara
• yesterday => kinou
• to be late => okureru
• university, college => daigaku
• school => gakkou

I just studied these two lessons yesterday and I’m still going through with them over and over again until I finally get to familiarize and memorize them. I’m only with lesson 12 but I’ve been learning alot and I can’t thank Misa-sensei enough. I’m so excited to learn more!

For the previous lessons, you can refer to my previous updates for lessons 1-10. If you want to study Japanese language as well, I am highly recommending Misa-sensei’s youtube tutorial for Japanese Grammar Lessons for Absolute Beginners. Jaa mata ne!

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